Lifting and shifting of a disabled/bedridden person has always been difficult, risky and problematic. This lifting and shifting is dangerous and painful for the disabled person if done by the untrained person. The patients are scared of this procedure, as there is a danger of slipping and falling and getting injured.
This lifting and shifting is strenuous for the nurse. When he/she is trying to lift the patient, he/she has to bend over the patient to lift him. This posture in the long run gives the nurses a back pain and can turn into permanent back problems. A lot of medical literature is available on back problems of nurses as it is very common in nurses.
A disabled person mainly needs to be shifted from a bed to change the bed or bed sheet. The person also needs to be lifted when putting a bed pan under him. This lifting and shifting is painful and dangerous for the disabled/bedridden person.
Many lifting and shifting apparatuses are available in the market. All these apparatus are expensive and unpractical at home as it takes a lot of space and a lot of training for the user. In hospitals some help is available but at home one is helpless and finds lifting and shifting very difficult.
It has been observed that it is very difficult to nurse bedridden persons, the main difficulties are:    i. shifting of patient from bed to wheel chair for transport;    ii. shifting of patient from wheel chair to bed for sleeping or rest; and    iii. sifting the person for putting bed pan under him.
JP10179645 provides wheel chair for nursing care. This wheel chair for nursing care consists of an L-shape supporting frame equipped with a holding frame and a pedestal and a truck on which the frame is installed. The truck has casters which can freely move around in all directions, and is of such a height as to allow itself to be introduced into a space below a bed for nursing care. In addition, the truck has a lift drive device mounted on the lateral part and also is of such a U-shape that one of the sides is open. Therefore, a patient can be positioned right above a stool in such a way that the truck 4 holds the stool. Besides, an ordinary-type flat truck can be used and also a motor-driven truck can be applied to this wheel chair. The lift drive device is constructed of a cylinder or a rack/pinion mechanism, or chain or motor-driven.
DE10241008 provides a wheel chair has a telescopic frame to provide continuously adjustable wheelbase, setting holes to give adjustable distance between pivoted wheel axis and frame and an adjustable seat position in the frame fork.
Also the wheel chair available in the market is used only for shifting purpose. It is not provided with bed facility. Also it does not have commode facility.
Hence there is a need of an improved wheel chair cum bed where lifting & shifting is eliminated. As this apparatus itself converts from bed to chair and vice-versa, the patient does not need to be shifted from bed to chair or vice-versa. This improved apparatus for a patient which will address and overcome all the problems of the wheel chair or bed or lifting & shifting apparatus of the prior art.
It is a common fact that all the patients on fouler (back straitening) bed slide down with the operation of the backrest. They have to be pulled up every day and that is strenuous for nurse or family members and painful for the patient.
This sliding forward of patient happens because as the back is strained the patient is pushed forward as there is no sliding movement between the patient and the back frame.
In the available equipment there is no arrangement to stop this pushing. The patient is pushed forward and so slides towards his feet. As a result he has to be pulled up when the back of the bed goes into bed position as it does not pull the patient up but goes does down to bed position so the patient remains in the pushed forward position. In the available equipment nothing is available to solve this problem.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a wheel chair and bed where lifting & shifting is eliminated. Such apparatus for a patient which will address and overcome all the problems of the chair or bed or lifting & shifting apparatus of the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wheel chair and bed where lifting & shifting is eliminated and such apparatus for a patient which will be used as a chair as well as bed also.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wheel chair and bed where lifting and shifting of patient is eliminated.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a wheel chair and bed where lifting & shifting is eliminated and this apparatus for a patient which has the built in commode.
To overcome this problem a need was felt to invent some mechanism, which will:    1. Stop pushing the patient forward (towards legs);    2. Will save the energy of nurse and make their life easy; and    3. The patient will not have to go through the painful procedure.